Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-09-30
STRANGE, BUT TRUE.
BY L. e. GRANGER.

BY l.. e. GRANGER.
My roommate is q lawyer, good
fellow, not in the least addicted to
"yarninG," and this strange story he
told Inc the other night, ] honestly be-
licve to be true in every particular.
give it just about as i received it
from him, and here is what he said:
1t is now just about ten years since
I was teaching school, IN academy we
called it, in a small town in the north
ern part of New York State, and, as
usual in such places. soon knew all
about everybody, even us everybody
knew all about me.
There was one delicious mystery in
the section, a hermit who inhabited
cave or den he had made or found in
the rocks on Bear Mountain, about
mile from the place. This individual
came from no one knew where,
but he had the marked char
acteristics of sea-faring man;
he was also plainly native
of some South American country. and
as he gave no name for HIMSELF some
enterprising original clristened him
Portuguese joe" and as suoh he was
known. lie was well supplied with
money gold coins of foreign mintage
and carly date he frequently changed
for tho little food and much drink
which he consumed in his lonely
quarters but he would talk to no one
except to hurl curses in his Spanish
lingo at them; so every one feared or
avoided him. though the town was
somewhat proud of the distinction
given it by the possession of real live
hermit. That he had bean SLAYER, a
pirate, aud murderer no one doubted,
and no one ever could catch the glance
OF his cold, cruel black eyes without
feeling that hatred and murder were in
his brain and heart toward all his fell
iow-creatures.
Portuguese Joe" had lived in his
cave for nearly seven years, when one
terribly torrid night the most
severe storm of thunder. light
ming, rain, and hail that ever was
known in that section came down
t,pon it. had been caught away from
acme; was visiting friend living back
near the mountain and in sight of the
cave of Joe. 1 was hold there by the
violence Of the storm, and as we sat
watching the play of the brilliant flashes
against the dark background of the
mountain we saw tho wild figure of the
hermit emerge from his cave, wave his
long arms wildly, evidently shrieking
curses or prayers.
AS we watched him bolt seemed to
hurl itself direct from Heaven upon
his head and the man sank to the
ground.
SO soon as we could my friend and
myself made our way to the spot and
found the lieless body of the hermit
with no other marks upon it than the
seeming impression of ten fingers upon
the throat. They were burned there,
but seemed perfectly natural. as though
made by two black hands
I hastened to the hotel near by, the
proprietor of which was also Justice of
the Peace lie sent for the body and
placed it in his coacll-house to remain
until next day when official action could
be taken
Then l returned to my friends home !;
his wife, a gentle, but most nervous
and excitable lady, had seen the man
receive his death stroke from the sky,
and it had Frustrated her completely
Their only servant was a young girl, and
I might be Of use, or thought so.
Now I do not. never did believe in
spiritualism but this lady fully con-
hded in the doctrine and possessed. or
thought she did. remarkable medium
istic powers. / had often begged her
to exercise her trance for my benefit,
but she Invariably refused, saying that
/ was such an utter skeptic that moth
ing would convince me.
When [ arrived again and inquired
Of her health l found her still greatly
excited, and iu half-hysterical con-
,}ition, and while I sat
there, trying by cheerful conversation
to change the current Of her thoughts
she suddenly went into violent conyul-
sions Her shrieks were terrible; she